Undying Spirit
by regie27
Summary: Even in the darkest of times, a spark of hope can flicker. A little Midori-centered vignette.


**Undying Spirit**

**A Mai HiME fanfiction by regie27**

**Standard Disclaimers Apply**

The night was quiet, too quiet for Sugiura Midori's taste. The wind blew softly against her cheeks as she lifted her head. A sense of dread washed over her as her eyes fixated not so much on the moon but on the blood red star that scintillated beside it. Midori inhaled deeply. She could still remember how surprised she had been when she noticed the HiME star for the very first time. Her partner in crime and old college buddy Yoko dismissed the sighting as a mere tidbit of her very imaginative and at that particular moment, inebriated mind, but Midori knew that beer had nothing to do with the unusual phenomenon that apparently only she could see. At the moment, it struck her as strange but she had never felt so sure of something, aside of her feelings for the Professor, like she had been of the existence of that star. For an aspiring scholar bent into impressing a specific esteemed member of the faculty after being kicked out of College ("what the hell were you thinking Midori!" was the phrase she kept repeating to herself for days on end after that ignominious event), she was keenly aware that in order to regain something akin to a respectable reputation, solid academic credentials, and a well-researched body of work were the key to her redemption. So aside from that night of bar hopping with Yoko, she had never mentioned anything to anyone else about the stubborn celestial body that refused to be captured by cameras and documented in any astronomy journal, yet quietly, she keep inquiring about it and about the legends and folklore behind the land of Fuka. Many people, even Yoko, took her sometimes for a likable eccentric; an idealist that could behave like a teenager and claimed being 17 years old, yet admired and craved the attention of older men than her, at least one in particular. The redhead couldn't contain the gentle smile that brightened briefly her countenance at the thought of the professor. She had pursued her investigations almost obsessively and she had never been aware of this until an insidious sense of emptiness and loss had substituted her optimist and single minded enthusiasm and dedication. All this time, she had wanted to prove her worth to him, to demonstrate she could be taken seriously as a peer, and even perhaps, as the woman who could stand beside him as an equal. But now she would never be able to gather her courage to talk to him as more than a former student. In fact, she would never be able to see him again, to listen enraptured to his reassuring and calming voice, to stare like a schoolgirl at the spark in his bespectacled eyes that spoke of his intelligence and his passion for history. A cruel fate had conspired to take this away, and with it, her own soul and heart.

Such irony. She, who had been the most enthusiastic and optimistic of all the HiME despite being the eldest, she who had hoped for them to band together and use their powers for Justice and for the good of Mankind was now confined to her own house zombie-like, sunk into an almost catatonic state, deprived of the will to live. In happier days, she had even dubbed their incipient group the HiME Sentai despite the somewhat less than enthusiastic response of the girls, not to mention how difficult it had been to "convince" bad girl Nao-chan and loner Natsuki-chan to join them. Midori could still reminiscence of the night when they had all came together for a night of camaraderie, food, karaoke, and fun. How much that little snake of Nagi must have laughed at the ridiculous notion of the HiME joining forces as they returned back to the Academy in high spirits and eased minds. That same night, her optimism and high hopes came to a sudden halt when Nagi revealed the true destiny of the HiME, and in a blink of an eye, friend was pitted against friend and the lives of those who they held dear the most were at stake. The festival had begun and the first stirrings of the macabre waltz had already left casualties in its wake even before they became aware of it with Akane-chan languishing despairingly, her sanity as lost as her Child and her beloved Kazuya.

The HiME star glimmered eerily. How appropriate for it to be tinted in crimson, the former Fuka professor observed grimly as she kept staring at it as in a trance. It wasn't too long after being released from the hospital, that she had found herself awakening in the middle of the night drenched in sweat that she had mistaken as her own blood, with arms flailing uncontrollably searching for her weapon, crying out for her Child, unable to find neither of them. The voices of the fallen loved ones of the maiden warriors filled her ears; their heart wrenching laments echoed in the darkness until she could not endure it anymore and rose from her bed wrapping her arms around her chest as if she feared her heart would leap out. Waking up, however, did not ease the pain from the nightmares. On the contrary, it reminded her it was reality, her reality as well as of all those cursed with the fate of the HiME branded on their bodies and existences.

"Takumi-kun...Kazuya-kun...Haruka-chan...Alyssa-chan...Mashiro-san...Tate-kun..." she whispered the names of the lost ones but before she could utter the name of her beloved, the words collided with her sobs as a torrent of tears drenched her face.

She could still remember it all vividly. Her fingers ran absentmindedly against the scars that remained from that fateful battle. Her lids closed and in the pitch darkness, she saw clearly how a pair of yellow eyes stared at her with ferocity. Seconds before, Midori had reluctantly initiated the countdown that would bring back someone as fierce and fearful as the dark-haired child who stood before her in a fighting stance. A feral grimace contorted in the girl's face, almost mirroring that of her Child. Midori had stared for a few seconds dumbfounded at the sight of Mikoto-chan's Child. It was obvious she did not stand a fighting chance against the beast that had finally revealed itself and had been lurking from the shadows until then. Both HiME and Child stood menacingly determined to eliminate Miyu, the false HiME; the aberration the Searrs Foundation had created and now threatened to spoil the Obsidian Prince's plans. And all that stood between their last chance of hope and victory for the Obsidian Prince was Midori. And so a battle ensued and Miyu was saved from certain destruction, but a high price was paid in return. This time, the Sentai did not enjoy the customary TV happy ending. As the redhead lay down on the floor badly wounded, she witnessed the sight that every HiME dreaded. One blow from Miroku had been enough to defeat Gakutenou and before she could realize what also had been lost, her Child was consumed by greenish flames until nothing remained but the certainty of her loss.

"Gomen, professor, but you'll be proud of me, right?" she whispered before fatigue and her wounds took their toll rendering her unconscious.

Midori opened her eyes. She glanced absentmindedly at her apartment and the state of utter chaos it prevailed. Amidst the books and papers in disarray, she noticed a picture of herself in her incarnation of a high school teacher. She could still picture the looks of disbelief and shock on Mai and the rest of the students who were used to seeing her working at the Linden Baun as a charming, albeit a bit clumsy waitress. And yes, she had to admit to them that she was a just bit older than seventeen but she still looked, and according to Yoko, could even sometimes behave like someone that age. Yet, much to her surprise, teaching had been a very gratifying experience even if she hadn't really planned it as a career option. It had been a turn of events that although unexpected in the broadest sense of her plans, she now considered it as one of the best things that had happened to her and have given her the opportunity to be near the other HiME and serve as sort of the big sister figure for the group. She had witnessed firsthand the joy and the pain, the elation and the confusion, the trill and the misery of youth augmented by the fact of having powers no person was supposed to have and the fate of your loved one hanging in the palm of your hands. Midori could understand what they were going through and having the advantage of age and experience, she took unto herself to be a leader for these girls, but most of all, a friend. But now, she had no words of wisdom to offer, no optimistic outlook to present, no consolation to give because she was inconsolable herself. She did not believe in fate and destiny but on the fate you create for yourself, yet she still refused that all her effort and struggle had been for nothing.

No! It was small and weak, but Sugiora Midori still retained some of the faith her previous incarnation had. She refused to believe that the death of so many could be in vain, just the casualties in a scheme concocted hundreds of years ago that would keep on repeating cyclically over and over, destroying the lives of each set of female warriors and condemning those tied to them by love, to their demise. She believed in Mai and she still believed the love that Mai and Mikoto share could somehow make this nightmarish festival stop.

"Mai-chan, don't give up!" she murmured, hoping that the words could somehow reach the girl.

And as Sugiora Midori glanced at the dark skies and the red star, her diminished spirit clinging on frailly yet stubbornly to that last shred of hope, a shimmering silhouette began materializing behind her.

_**-Fin-**_

Author's Notes:

Since watching Mai HiME, Midori has been one of my favorite characters and this plot bunny had been in one way or another gnawing at my ankles, but a recent bout with a case of Writer's block combined with a little thing called Life delayed me from writing it. I hope this little ficlet gives justice to the character and to the series overall.

Thanks for reading!


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